


Guarding the Heart

by raendown



Series: KakaYama Week 2017 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 19:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10928907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: For the tumblr prompt "Rokudaime/Bodyguard"





	Guarding the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Bad titles are apparently going to be a _thing_ this week :\

He had it timed down to the second. He knew exactly how long it would take his faithful shadow to find him. He only had about another minute and a half to close his eyes and enjoy the peaceful quiet of his bright little hiding place. He had accepted the position as Rokudaime Hokage because it was the duty that was required of him. That did not mean he had to enjoy the job, however, and he really didn’t enjoy his job. Kakashi had spent his life on battlefields, under fire and in danger, on the move and taking cover. His life had been one long adrenaline rush since he was five years old interspersed with stolen moments of contentment when he simply stopped to breathe for a while. Being the Hokage was a different life. It was a life he didn’t know how to enjoy. 

Being the Hokage meant spending all of his time cooped up in a quiet office, stamping forms and approving paperwork. People bowed when he entered the room and censored their speech when he asked them questions. As Copy Ninja Kakashi people had been afraid of him and he had been fine with that. He had earned that. As Rokudaime-sama people venerated him and he was _not_ okay with that. Just because he wore a fancy hat to work now did not mean that he was suddenly any better than them, any more delicate or proper or worthy of respect. 

He really never thought he would live to see the day that he would long for someone to spit at his feet. At the very least, such an honest opinion would be refreshing. 

Spending his time doing such mundane things and working with people who treated him so strangely grated on him in a way he had not fully anticipated. Which meant that Kakashi took every opportunity he felt he could allow himself to slip away from it all. Sometimes he found Gai and challenged him to the most ridiculous thing he could think to do with his friend being bound to a wheelchair. It wasn’t the great adrenaline rush he was used to but it helped. Other times he did what he was doing today: he would find a nice quiet spot hidden away from all human life and simply breathe, relax, let the stress melt away. The weight of his title always seemed lighter when he was lounging in the sunlight on top of the water tower. 

Just as he had thought, it only took a minute and a half for a familiar chakra signature to make its way up the side of the structure. Kakashi sighed and slumped his body down a little more. He didn’t want to go back to work. He wanted to lay up here and pretend that his life was fulfilling somehow. 

“Hokage-sama, I thought we talked about this,” a voice scolded him as a head of brunette hair popped over the edge.

“What, your insistence on calling me by that title no matter how many times I’ve asked you to just use my name?” he drawled back. Yamato pulled himself over the edge and walked the few steps over to where he was laid out in the very middle of the platform. 

“No, _Hokage-sama_ ,” Yamato ground out purposefully. “I meant your inability to stay where you are supposed to and how worried it makes everyone when you don’t have any of your guards with you,” 

Kakashi stared up at the clouds, not answering for a moment. It was a wonderful day. If he were as free as he would like to be he supposed this would have been a great day to spend with comrades doing something for fun that would be dressed up as training. Something like water fights on the river or a wrestling competition that would devolve in to a friendly battle royale. 

“Don’t you get tired of being on duty, Tenzou?” he asked. “Just sit down and relax for a minute, it wouldn’t kill you.” He saw the younger man roll his eyes and cross his arms. 

“I’m your bodyguard. It’s in my job description _not_ to relax. There were two assassination attempts just last week; you could be attacked at any time. I would never be forgiven if you got hurt.”

“I would forgive you.” He said the words with little thought. They were true, and he meant them, but it wasn’t something he would typically share. Normally he would make a joke. All the formality in his days must really be getting to him. Yamato was peering at him with surprise naked on his face but he only sighed again and looked back to the clouds. “Look, if you don’t want to relax then would you at least let me?” 

His guard was silent for a few minutes, looking down at him with a contemplative face. He kept his eyes trained upwards, not at all wanting to know what was going through that pretty brunet head. He just searched for shapes in the clouds, finding one that looked a bit like a carrot and another that reminded him of Pakkun. After what seemed like a long time Yamato shifted his stance, cocking one hip to the side in a more casual way that said, for the moment, he was willing to drop formality just a tiny bit. Kakashi was more grateful than he could have expressed. 

“Is everything alright Kakashi?” Yamato asked him. “You seem…off.” 

How to answer that? Joke or honesty? Of all the acquaintances he had Yamato was probably one of the only people who would understand how he felt. He was also one of the only people Kakashi trusted enough to be open with. 

“I _feel_ off,” he found himself saying. Yamato tilted his head in question. “I’m warming a seat for Naruto and the whole village knows it. I don’t understand why people insist on playing pretend, acting proper and treating me with such respect when I don’t _deserve_ that. I don’t belong in that office, Tenzou.”

“Sempai…”

“I feel like I accomplish nothing even if I spend ten hours sitting in that chair until my ass goes numb. I sign papers and read reports while the ones who really get things done are out there risking their lives and cleaning up the leftover messes from the war. I want to help. I want to contribute. I want to be able to walk down the street without three people shadowing me and making me feel like I can’t even breathe because the walls are closing in and it’s too tight Tenzou it’s too – ”

“Sempai!” 

His words came to an abrupt stop and he realized he was breathing too heavily, speaking too fast. His words had begun to rush out of him without stopping, revealing far more about his worries than he had intended to. He swallowed and closed his eyes, bringing his hands up to cover his face. They created a small dark cocoon for him to rest in and calm himself down. When he dropped his hands Yamato was watching him with such a look of concern that he immediately felt bad. He hadn’t meant to place his burden upon the other man. He hadn’t wanted to worry anyone. His troubles were his own and no one else needed to carry them. This was exactly why he was always so closed off in the first place.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured quietly, forcing his body to sit up. “I didn’t mean for you to hear all that.” 

“You do deserve our respect you know.” He looked up, surprised, and Yamato offered him a smile before continuing. “And you do contribute. What is a team without a leader? You lead the village. You make hard decisions that others could not. You take those reports and bring all the small pieces of information together to create the bigger picture, then you decide what needs to be done with it. You’re a good Hokage, sempai.” 

He shook his head. “I’m not. I’m just…the only one who got offered the job.” 

“You were the only one worthy of it.” Yamato lowered himself to the platform, sitting so that they were side by side facing opposite directions. He placed one hand on Kakashi’s arm and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “You always doubt yourself too much and you really shouldn’t. Lots of people believe in you. _I_ believe in you. You’ve never let me down.”

Kakashi stared at him, at his calm smile and his honest eyes. His brown hair was falling over the front of his happuri faceplate, creating shadows over his eyes while the sun made a halo around his head. He looked strangely enchanting and Kakashi was moving before he realized it. His hand came up and lowered his mask only a split second before his lips made contact with the other man’s, kissing him so gently at first that it was barely there. Then he deepened it, pressing them together more firmly and parting his lips to take one of Yamato’s between his teeth. When the other man made an indecipherable noise his eyes shot open and he suddenly realized what he was doing. 

They parted a single inch, staring at each other in shock. Kakashi felt ice slide down his spine as it hit him that he had just kissed Yamato, one of his best friends and his most frequent body guard. There were very few ways this would end well for him. 

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m so sorry Tenzou, I have no idea what came over me.” He made to turn away and pull his mask back in to place when a hand on his arm stopped him. He rambled on before Yamato could speak, his words coming quickly again as if he meant to use them to stay the other’s anger. “You were being really nice and you’re always there, you know? You’re always _there_. When I need you. And you stay when everyone else goes. And you’re quiet when I need quiet. And you’re – you’re _really_ attractive and nice and god I’m sorry. I know you don’t see me that way. I can, uh, shift the roster around if you want to…not see me…what are doing?”

His nervous babbling trailed off as Yamato lifted a hand to run it through his hair, sweeping the silver locks back from his face. The younger man was smiling and, if he wasn’t mistaken, holding back laughter as well. 

“You know, when I first joined ANBU I thought you were so cool.” He ran his fingertips down Kakashi’s chin, tracing the shape of his bare face. “I used to fantasize about kissing you all the time but I knew it would never happen. ‘Sempai would never kiss me’, I’d tell myself. ‘He’s so cool, what would he want with someone like me?’ But you’re just as human as the rest of us I suppose.”

“I don’t know,” Kakashi said faintly. “I’ve been called monster plenty of times.” 

Yamato flicked his nose. “You’re not a monster Kakashi.” Then he leaned in and Kakashi moaned when he found himself entangled in a second kiss, this one heated and hungry. Their lips moved against each other in near-perfect sync, noses brushing and cheeks flushing. Hands gripped his hair and his shirt, pulling him in close so that their chests were pressed together. When he dared to part his lips and dart out his tongue Yamato sighed contentedly and responded in kind. Kakashi wondered if he might have fallen asleep under the sun and started having a really nice dream – a really familiar dream. It wouldn’t be the first time his old friend had starred in his fantasies like this. 

When they finally separated they were both breathing a little heavily. Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes and warm cheeks. Kakashi felt so much lighter than he had five minutes ago. Finally Yamato cleared his throat.

“I suppose it really _wouldn’t_ kill me to sit and relax for a bit, would it?” His words made Kakashi grin. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“I wouldn’t mind. How long will you let me stay up here, my most overzealous warden?” He hadn’t felt this light in months. Suddenly he was looking forward to the rest of the day with enthusiasm.

Yamato pretended to think about it. “I think I could grant you another ten minutes. You really should get back soon, _Hokage-sama_.” Kakashi scowled at him. 

“How many times will I have to ask you not to call me that?”

“I’ll make you a deal.” Yamato smirked as he leaned closer. “You let me call you Hokage-sama and I’ll let you bend me over your desk tonight.” 

Kakashi froze in place, all circuits in his brain temporarily shutting down. He stared at Yamato in utter disbelief. Had his innocent, uptight little kohai really just said that? Had he really just been offered one of his biggest fantasies – and without even having to beg for it? Now he was _really_ looking forward to the rest of his day. In the space of ten minutes his entire life seemed to have taken on a new, optimistic outlook for the future. 

“We really should get back to work, you know?” he babbled, throwing himself back to his feet. “I’ve got a lot of work to do – as Hokage – and I don’t want to shirk any of my duties – my _Hokage_ duties.”

Yamato trailed along behind Kakashi as the older man took off for the office he had earlier escaped from, still chattering away to himself. He smiled as he watched his sempai go and chuckled. It had taken a lot longer to get Kakashi to kiss him than he’d thought it would. It had been worth the wait though. 

Now, however, they would have a _lot_ of time to make up for.


End file.
